"Creatures Out Of The Dark Ages Have Come Marching Into The Present..."

The Iconoclast ^ | February 12, 2003 | Stephen Rittenberg

[expatpat]

Thx

[DannyTN]

Both yearn for an unattainable perfection that can only require the annihilation of those who stand in the way.

I don't see it. Annihilation of those that stand in the way is not required by the utopian vision. Seclusion would suffice.

Afghanistan should have been Osama's utopia as the most pure implementation of sharia law. Does anyone doubt the world would fate would be much different were it all dominated by Islam?

Likewise the Soviet Union should have been the Communist's utopia, but it was indeed fantasy and after enough years reality set in and brought about the collapse of the communist state.

Annihilation of those that stand is the way is about winning. It's not about limiting outside influence. It's about validating your own beliefs by killing others. It's about power and exerting it over other people. It's about status and greed and probably lust.

[Bonaparte]

"...haven't yet realized who their real enemy is."

Nor do they realize how much stronger that enemy is than they are. It will be a pleasure to watch them get conquered by the islamists.

[houstonian]

Can't have the kingdom of God without God. It turns quickly into the worst hell anyone could ever imagine, ruled by imitation gods who become the worst enemies of the world.

Richard Wurmbrand has written several gripping works minutely describing the sadism hatched by radical utopian hatred of Christianity.

[katana]

Off hand, I can only think of one all-encompassing utopian vision which, when believers tried to put it into effect politically, did not result in mass executions. That would be the American experiment in personal freedom and rights as granted by a creator G*d. The fact that was instituted in the form of a Constitutional Republic was, I think, key.

We've had our moments, but nothing to compare with the French Terror, the Nazi Holocaust, the Stalinist genocide, Mao's and Pol Pot's mass murder, etc. Islamic fundamentalism belongs in this list.

[DannyTN]

I suspect there are a lot of utopian visions that have been put into effect in a smaller scale that did not result in mass executions. They range from monasteries during the dark ages, hermits, 60's communes, nudist colonies, etc. The difference is that these utopias were all voluntary.

The utopias that result in mass executions are forced utopias. The same evil desires that drive someone to force their concept of utopia on someone else also drives them to be ambitious to continue expanding their fantasy, until it's worldwide.

[katana]

Agreed, hence the mention of the utopia being put into political effect. To be part of a utopian order requires the members to be of one thought, and that requires voluntary or forced submission to the group. The larger the group, the more likely mass violence seems to be.